Weekly Action and News 29/07/2022
Manchester Amnesty Weekly Action and News
Please do these actions and make a difference
1. Sister of abducted activist charged for campaigning. ****URGENT****
Human rights defender Sitanun Satsaksit is trying to find out what happened to her brother who was abducted in Cambodia whilst talking to her on the phone in 2020. The Thai and Cambodian authorities have obstructed her search and, as a result of her campaigning work, she has now been charged under emergency laws relating to COVID-19, which are being used to suppress dissent. Sitanun is due to appear in court in late August and, if convicted, faces a sentence of up to four years. Amnesty is calling on the Thai authorities to drop all proceedings against Situnan, and to provide a safe and enabling environment for all human rights defenders.
https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/sister-abducted-activist-charged-campaigning
2. Priti Patel: Bring back British women and their children detained in North-East Syria sponsored by Reprieve
A small group of British women and children, some 20 families, are unlawfully detained in desert camps in North East Syria. A child dies approximately every two days in these inhumane camps. Medical care is limited, and children have little access to education. Reprieve’s investigations show that the majority of the women were trafficked to the region, often after being groomed online as teenagers, by ISIS. The longer these families are unlawfully detained, the more likely they could be transferred to Iraq or Assad-controlled Syria, where they would face torture, disappearance and death.
Priti Patel has the power to bring British women and children home, but is refusing to do so. Will you join us as we demand that Priti Patel let these women and children come home?
https://secure.reprieve.org/page/108988/petition/1
Big Ride for Palestine event this weekend. The sun will shine!
Please support Manchester Amnesty at the Big Ride for Palestine which will be in Manchester on 30-31 July.
Help at our display and stall at the Klondyke, Levenshulme from 7pm on Saturday 30 July. Fun event with food, music and performance.
Come to the final rally in Platt fields 12-2pm Sunday 31 July. Mike Reed will give a short talk on Amnesty’s campaign.
More information here: https://www.thebigride4palestine.com/
Manchester Pride Saturday 27th August 2022, 11am-4pm, Manchester City Centre.
We would really like to have a big presence at this event, so please come along if you can.
Anyone can take part an all LGBTQ+ allies are welcome. With any luck, we’ll get weather like that at last year’s event!
Let Steve Lindsay know if you are planning to attend stevenjameslindsay@gmail.com
A free music event by DeRanged Nights, 6th August at Overdraught MCR in Levenshulme from 8pm until late.
In support of freedom of speech, free press and whistleblowers’ protection. Details from Lima Al-iskalachi limazakoor@gmail.com
Save the date!
Sunday, 14th August, 2pm, St Anne’s Square, the refugee subgroup will be holding their final “orange heart” event to raise awareness about refugees. All welcome.
Good news
Myanmar - On 22 July 2022, the International Court of Justice decided to proceed with the Gambia’s complaint against Myanmar alleging the genocide of the Rohingya people. The decision is considered to be of great importance – not just to the people of Myanmar, but also to the development of international law and to defining the obligation of States that have signed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Manchester Amnesty Subgroups and other work
If you would like to join any of our subgroups, please contact the current convenors for joining details.
UAE – Kathryn Fletcher, bussk@btinternet.com.
Anti-racism – Hazel Errey, hazelerrey@gmail.com,
Refugees – Alison Wearden, alison.wearden@gmail.com
HR in UK – Matthew Sherwood, m.j.sherwood@outlook.com
Craftivism - Kathryn Fletcher bussk@btinternet.com.
Other areas of work are led by:
Crisis and Tactical Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen Rebecca Shaw, r.h.shaw.7@gmail.com
Europe/ Turkey, Fatih Segmen, fsegmen@yahoo.com
Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians Mike Reed mikewreed101@gmail.com
Individuals at Risk (quarterly letter writing) Anne Walker anne.walker9@ntlworld.com
LGBTQ rights – Manchester Pride 2022 coordinator – Steve Lindsay stevenjameslindsay@gmail.com
Alison Wearden
Communications Secretary
Manchester Group of Amnesty International
Please contact me with items for our Weekly Action and News email, or with ideas for longer articles for the qu
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